Next Door Saviours
by NotYetLostFaith
Summary: A series of oneshots, based on the Next Door Neighbours AU
1. Chapter 1 Labour

Author's Note: This idea wouldn't leave me alone, and with a bit of help from Hijackedbycastle I managed to find it in me to publish it. I'm thinking that it will be a series of related one shots and I'm just gonna see where it takes me. I'm up for ideas for chapters if you want to send me them too :D

I hope you enjoy it :D NYLF xx

* * *

Kate leaned against the hall wall, clutching her stomach as another contraction ripped through her. She couldn't hold back the cry of pain, letting herself lean there for a second to catch her breath.

The elevator at the end of the hall chimed, and for half a second Kate wished it was someone she knew, anyone, but there was no one left to come to her aid and she knew it. She breathed for half a moment more, before pulling herself upright, moaning softly as she did.

"Hey, you okay?" The man coming from the elevator, grocery bag in hand, asked kindly.

Kate couldn't place him, but she nodded anyway. "I'm fine." She smiled tightly, the hand clutching the bottom of her bump white with the force of her grip on her shirt.

"You, you don't look fine." He looked down from her face to take her in and twigged her bump. "Oh god, are you in labour?"

Kate chuckled, watery and tight with pain, before nodding. "Yup."

"Wow, you don't look at all pregnant from the back." Rick murmured, blushing once he realised he'd said that out loud.

Kate raised an eyebrow in his direction with a wry smile.

"Sorry. I moved in about a week ago, and you're pretty, and I may have been checking you out in the laundry room on Thursday." He shrugged, before shaking his head at himself. "Not that you needed to know all that. I'm Rick, by the way." He smiled, bumping up the bag he was holding.

"Kate." She smiled. "And thanks."

"Not at all." He smiled at her gently. "Can I do anything to help?" He asked, nodding to her bump.

Kate shook her head. "Nope. Just gotta get to the hospital."

"Right." Rick nodded. "You need an ambulance?"

Kate chuckled. "Cab will be fine, and cheaper."

"Right, yeah." Rick chuckled back nervously, before a thought struck him. "Or I could drive you?"

Kate looked at him, a little suspicious, until another contraction hit her, hard. It would be faster and she knew it. "That would be great." She relented.

"Okay." Rick smiled. "Let me just shove this in my apartment and I'll drive you, okay?"

Kate nodded but he was already unlocking the door next to hers and dropping the bag inside. "Come on." He smiled, gently slipping a hand to the base of her back, and taking her hospital bag out of her hand with his other.

They walked slowly towards the elevator, neither talking, Kate concentrating on her breathing and Rick not sure what to say.

"Am I supposed to be telling you to do stuff?" He asked suddenly as he guided her onto the elevator. "Like to 'bare down' or something? In the movies they always tell them to do stuff."

Kate chuckled. "I've got it. Been to all the classes, know what to do." She smiled. "But thanks."

* * *

Rick looked over at his passenger and felt his heart break a little. She was most likely only in her early twenties, she looked so young, and here she was, heavily pregnant, sobbing in his front seat as pain pulled her apart.

He had absolutely no idea how to handle this, the contracting, crying gorgeous creature in his car, so he simply offered her his hand.

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, seemed to be assessing him, but as her next contraction hit, she gripped his hand and shot him a grateful smile. Rick smiled back, squeezing reassuringly, as he continued to drive as fast as the law and road would allow him.

* * *

Rick kept Kate's hand as she got settled on the bed, letting go to let her get comfy, a second later.

He had no idea how to proceed here.

He didn't really know her, had met her once- if you didn't include him checking her out earlier in the week- and yet here he was, having helped sign her in to deliver her baby.

"You good?" He asked quietly.

Kate nodded, blissfully between contractions for a moment. "Thank you for this."

"Don't have to thank me, Kate." He murmured, self consciously. "Just being a decent human being."

She smiled at him softly, before her face crumpled into a grimace.

"I could stay, if you wanted?" He asked quietly, before shaking his head. "Sorry, stupid suggestion." He wouldn't look at her, couldn't. He was strangely drawn to her, but did he seriously just offer to help deliver a stranger's baby? "Anyway, hope it goes well and I'll, I'll see you around." He shot her a quick smile before leaving the room, mumbling chastisements to himself as he went.

He got three steps out of the room before Kate called his name.

He turned back, poking his head around the door. "You okay?"

She looked up at him shyly before offering him her hand. "Stay? Please? It'd be good to have _someone_ here." She murmured.

Rick quickly walked back over to her, folding his hand into hers and squeezing gently. "I could call the father, if you wanted?" He offered quietly.

Kate shook her head. "There's no point. He's not around and," she shrugged, "I've got no one else."

A thousand responses went through his brain, but Rick settled on a reassuring squeeze of her hand and a supporting hand on her shoulder.

Of course he'd help. She needed someone here right now, to experience this with her, and if he was the best the universe could provide, he was happy to answer the call.

* * *

Later, much later, when the light had faded from the sky, and all the commotion had gone from the room, Kate laid silently, watching as her tiny baby girl slept peacefully in her arms.

"I promise to try and not let her wake you up at every hour of the night." She murmured softly, not even glancing in the man's direction, not yet able to stop looking at the little miracle in her arms. She was just so perfect.

"Eh, I wouldn't mind." Rick smiled, gently stroking his fingertip across the little one's hand, just poking out of her swaddling. "She's beautiful enough to get away with it." He nudged Kate's shoulder very lightly. "Just like her mom."

Kate smiled up at him shyly, before her eyes were drawn back to the baby.

"And hey, I'd be happy to help if you ever need it." He promised sincerely.

Kate smiled softly, leaning back and pulling the little girl into her chest, feeling her tiny breaths against her skin, while she looked up at Rick.

"I'd like that." She smiled.

"And maybe, however backwards, you'd like to have dinner with me? The three of us? Once you get home and get settled in?" He asked shyly, not really sure how she'd take it. But after seeing her deliver a baby with no pain relief, after seeing her strong, and composed, and beautiful, as she brought life into the world, how could he not at least ask?

Kate smiled shyly and nodded. "I'd like that, too."


	2. Chapter 2 Dinner

"What am I doing, huh, Evie-Jo?" Kate murmured softly to the little girl sleeping in her bassinet. "Rick's a very nice man, helped me bring you into the world, little lady, but dinner? What's mommy thinking, huh?"

Kate shook her head at herself.

She was having a conversation with her four day old daughter, about a date with a guy she'd met only once, while she was in labour, while stood in only her underwear as she tried to find something to wear.

Her bump still hadn't completely gone down, and while she wasn't ashamed of the body that had nurtured her baby girl for nine months, she wasn't exactly ready for curve hugging and skin tight outfits.

Except now, a lot of stuff that she owned was either that, or maternity wear. Flattering maternity wear, but still.

Evie-Jo sighed in her sleep, making her mom chuckle.

"Okay, okay. You win little one, I'll just wear jeans and a top. He knows I've just had a baby, he's totally not expecting a cocktail dress or anything, right?" Kate sighed. "Like you have an opinion on the matter. All you wear are onesies." She murmured, grabbing a loose emerald green top that was fitted to her post-baby bust, before it flowed out over her stomach. The perfect cover all.

She paired it with comfy jeans, very comfy, childbirth _hurt,_ and slid on ballet flats.

"What do you think, huh? You think we're ready?"

Evie-Jo was already dressed, an adorable pale purple and white polka dotted onesie, with attached feet and scratch mitts, and a tiny lavender hat with two tiny darker purple ears. Kate had no idea what kind of animal it was trying to represent, but it had been too adorable to pass up.

She was perfectly happy, milk-drunk and passed out in her bed, while her mommy faffed.

Kate quickly grabbed her phone and slid it into her jeans pocket, before triple checking the baby bag. She was literally only going next door but she still liked to be prepared- a clean baby outfit, diapers, wipes, diaper cream, diaper bags, burp cloths, nursing blanket, nipple pads, maternity pads- Kate shook her head at her mental check list. The first few weeks post-birth were _so_ not sexy.

"Okay, baby, let's grab you." She murmured, slinging the bag over her shoulder before carefully gathering the slumbering baby up and into her chest. Kate placed a soft kiss against her daughter's forehead before giving the room once last look over.

Once she was happy she had everything she could need, Kate made her way into the living room, grabbed her keys and Evie-Jo's bouncer, and left the apartment.

* * *

"Hey." Rick smiled warmly, once he'd opened the door to his neighbours. "Oh hi Evelyn, don't you look adorable." He greeted the baby softly.

Kate chuckled, making her way past him and dropping her stuff at the edge of his couch. "Yeah, when she's not screaming her head off."

"Nah, you don't ever scream do you, hmm baby?" He smiled, shutting the door behind them. "Uncle Rick never hears you crying at three o'clock in the morning." Rick chuckled at Kate's wince.

"I'm sorry, I'm trying." She murmured.

"Hey, no." He shook his head, coming over to where she was perched on the arm of his couch, to gently grip her shoulder. "I told you, she's pretty enough to get away with it." He shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously. "Besides, I have a nine year old daughter, I've done the crying baby bit before."

"You have a kid?" Kate asked quietly.

"Yeah, Alexis. She's at her mom's in California for two weeks, will be back next Thursday." Rick smiled, watching the baby as she suckled in her sleep.

"Oh wow." Kate murmured.

"What?" He asked quietly.

"I just, never though you'd have a kid." She smiled sheepishly. "That sounds terrible. I'm sorry."

Rick shook his head. "It's fine. Now, I figured something simple, but healthy and warming, so I went with like a beef-y stew kinda thing. Sound good?"

Kate smiled, watching him move around his kitchen. "Sounds great."

* * *

Half an hour later, Rick was happily entertaining the now awake baby while Kate moaned around her fork every few bites.

"Good?" Rick chuckled, bouncing Evie-Jo against his shoulder.

"So good. This is the first thing I've eaten, in like a week, that hasn't come out of a Styrofoam container." She gushed, making Rick laugh again.

"You can come round any time, you know? I don't mind. And Lex would love Evie." He smiled down at the baby when she moved to face him at her name. "Oh look at you, pretty girlie. Do you know your name? Do you Evie-Jo? Do you know that's you?"

Kate smiled fondly at him, rather liking watching him interacting with her daughter. "That might be nice." She smiled at him. "We'll arrange something?"

Rick smiled. "That would be great."

* * *

"So, you said her dad wasn't in the picture?" Rick probed gently, watching with fascination as Kate flung a nursing blanket over her shoulder and adjusted her nursing bra, before taking the whimpering baby off him and gently latching her on. Kate peeked under the blanket to make sure her baby was okay, before leaning back into the couch, content to let her feed.

"He couldn't get away fast enough." She shrugged.

"I'm sorry." He murmured sincerely. "I was only a single parent from when Alexis was about three, I had help for this first bit."

Kate smiled at him softly. "Well I have you." She chuckled. "And I'm okay. She's a good baby."

"And you're a good mom." He promised softly. "You're doing great."

Kate smiled at him. "Thanks. Means a lot."

Rick shrugged. "And you're really hot."

Kate laughed, flinging a pillow at his head, which he caught with a laugh. " _And_ moment ruined, well done."

Rick shook his head. "Hey, I can't help it. You were gorgeous with a baby bump, but now..."

"With a saggy stomach and a baby at my breast?" Kate asked wryly, raising an eyebrow in his direction.

"Wow. So sexy." He chuckled, making her laugh. He loved her laugh.

He'd wear her down, he knew he would.


End file.
